"I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir ... the Jungian thing, sir."
Private Joker, Full Metal Jacket

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Did you like the class president or the class blowhard?

I have heard no spin. Seen no polls regarding tonight's vice presidential debate. I have three reactions.
First,
both candidates debated well. although neither was great. Biden was
much stronger than Obama. The Biden and Ryan styles were contrasting.
Biden was aggressive and hyperbolic. Ryan was calm and understated and, I
think, overly deferential. At one point, he needed to say "Mr. Vice
President, here's how it is supposed to work. I get to talk with out
interruption and then its your turn. Can we try that?"
Different people will react differently. My guess is that both bases will like think their guy won.
Second,
as someone who participates in this type of forum on a regular basis,
Biden's behavior was shocking. He interrupted and behaved like a smart
ass teenager. His smirking and mugging for the camera was the stuff of
bad actors and third rate personal injury injury lawyers. (Good personal
injury lawyers are much better than that.) It was rude and
unprofessional. It was condescending and disrespectful.
But
was it ineffective? Biden adopted the tactics of a cheap trial lawyer.
Mostly it doesn't work. But sometimes - with certain audiences (or
certain juries)- it does. It tends to work best not when you want to
convince the undecided (people aren't that stupid). but when you want to
inflame people who are already with you.
Third, without
regard to which candidate won, Martha Raddatz was the loser. She let
the debate get out of control and she allowed Biden, in particular, to
run all over her. I don't know much about her work as a journalist
although I take it she has a good reputation. She was clearly not up to
this.
Vice presidential debates tend not to matter and I
suspect that this one won't. If you're a Democrat, you have to hope that
Biden somehow made up for the President's abysmal performance. If
you're a Republican, you have to hope that Biden's oafish behavior
underscored the theme of an administration that has no case to make. I'm not sure that either side will get its wish.

14 comments:

Anonymous
said...

"Different people will react differently. My guess is that both bases will like think their guy won."

Exactly, which is the underlying point of your post. You CLAIM that the VP debate was unimportant in the overall scheme of things, yet make it clear from YOUR perspective that Biden's conduct was "juvenile" compared to Ryan, the "adult".

Let's cut to the chase. It would appear that when Democrats/liberals are emotional (like Biden, his strength), they’re labeled "oafish" by their opponents (in this case, our dear Professor).

When Republicans/conservatives are emotional, they’re “passionate”.

Likewise, when Republicans/conservatives are reserved (like Ryan, his strength), they’re labeled “detached” by their opponents--which I'm sure the lefty blogosphere is in overdrive with this narrative.

Ryan did a superb job of laying out everything that Romney WON'T do...not much besides platitudes about what he WOULD do. The GOP ticket offers absolutely no specifics. There hasn't been a more unserious ticket since Dole-Kemp.

CNN poll:Seven in ten said Biden was seen as spending more time attacking his opponent, and that may be a contributing factor in Ryan's 53%-43% advantage on being more likable. Ryan also had a slight advantage on being more in touch with the problems of average Americans.

By one tally Ryan told 24 fibs in the debate. What's the appropriate response when the other side lies? Reagan would smile and say, "There you go again," and he'd set the record straight, at least from his perspective. Biden reacted, usually with a smile, when Ryan stretched the truth. We expect leaders to call out liars, and Biden did so, without using the "L" word. Obama was criticized for passivity in the face of Romney's malarkey, and appropriately so. Biden handled Ryan's fibbing with humor and righteousness, and he projected authority.

I am reminded of the time I took my daughter horse back riding. The wrangler asked me what kind of horse I wanted. I asked her if they had one named like Old Joe. She replied I have the horse for you; his name is Death Wish 2.

About Me

I am President and General Counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and an adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School. The views expressed here are my own and not those of WILL or Marquette. They are offered in my personal capacity.